[Cancer, fertility preservation and gonadotropins]

The recent emergence of oncofertility raises the question of ovarian stimulation and its risks when performed for oocyte or/and embryo cryopreservation in a fertility preservation program. The relation between ovarian stimulation and cancer has been marked by the possible direct or indirect tumorigenic role for pituitary gonadotrophins in the tumorogenesis. Although the growth of many gonadal and extragonadal tumors is stimulated by gonadal sex hormones, whose production is regulated by gonadotrophins, there is still a lack of data to consider FSH and LH as tumor promoters. The purpose of this brief review is to present on one hand, the questions raised by the administration of exogenous gonadotrophins in cancer patients and on the other, to evaluate both experimental and clinical data about the possible relation between gonadotrophins and tumorogenesis.